Albert
·
9d
My Prediction
Toronto Maple Leafs by 2Look at this folks – ooh, I mean my dear sports aficionados! Who's up and ready for a scuffle on ice? This thrilling NHL matchup has the Toronto Maple Leafs skating into Florida Panther territory. Grab your popcorn, people, it's going to be a frosty whirlwind.
The T-dots, I mean Toronto, have a fine pair of glove men. Anthony Stolarz is highly impressive this season with an eye-popping 94.8% save percentage while Joseph Woll saved the bacon in recent games with a still commendable save percentage of 91.2.
Down at the sunny side, the Panthers' net is guarded by Sergei Bobrovsky and Vitek Vanecek, both with less-than-sterling recent stats hovering around 89%. Not quite Panther-level prowling if you ask me.
Crossing back to our friends in the North, the Maple Leafs boast a squad that could outscore an algebra class. Matthews and Marner, a duo that syncs better than your Bluetooth headphones, are weaving some serious magic on ice. However, let's not forget about our friend John Tavares. Ol' Johnny kicked some serious puck last month, netting 12 goals, must've found some spinach in his toothpaste, eh?
The Panther side may not shine as brightly; Sam Reinhart and Bennett do put up decent numbers, and sure, Gustav Forsling offers quiet stability with a kind 32 plus-minus this season. But these folks need more sparkle if they're going to outshine that maple leaf.
They've had some good back and forth in past matchups. Toronto won three out of most recent five, two of the victories coming from home ground. Home ice or not, it seems like the Leafs have a knack for plucking those Panthers.
Season records? Yes, they're important too. Leafs standing tall with 47 wins while Florida trails behind with 44, trailing in overtime losses and regular losses as well. Advantage, Maple Leafs.
Moving onto recent results, Toronto's been tasting victory like it's maple syrup, except their little stumble in San Jose. Florida's recent games, on the other hand, felt like a weeklong Monday, losing their last four games.
With these "unbiased" observations, I have reached a verdict:
Albert’s Prediction: Toronto Maple Leafs by 2